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 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
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 */


package javax.naming.spi;

import javax.naming.Context;
import javax.naming.Name;
import javax.naming.NamingException;

/**
 * This interface represents an "intermediate context" for name resolution.
 * <p>
 * The Resolver interface contains methods that are implemented by contexts
 * that do not support subtypes of Context, but which can act as
 * intermediate contexts for resolution purposes.
 * <p>
 * A <tt>Name</tt> parameter passed to any method is owned
 * by the caller.  The service provider will not modify the object
 * or keep a reference to it.
 * A <tt>ResolveResult</tt> object returned by any
 * method is owned by the caller.  The caller may subsequently modify it;
 * the service provider may not.
 *
 * @author Rosanna Lee
 * @author Scott Seligman
 * @since 1.3
 */

public interface Resolver {

    /**
     * Partially resolves a name.  Stops at the first
     * context that is an instance of a given subtype of
     * <code>Context</code>.
     *
     * @param name        the name to resolve
     * @param contextType the type of object to resolve.  This should
     *                    be a subtype of <code>Context</code>.
     * @return the object that was found, along with the unresolved
     * suffix of <code>name</code>.  Cannot be null.
     * @throws javax.naming.NotContextException if no context of the appropriate type is found
     * @throws NamingException                  if a naming exception was encountered
     * @see #resolveToClass(String, Class)
     */
    public ResolveResult resolveToClass(Name name,
                                        Class<? extends Context> contextType)
            throws NamingException;

    /**
     * Partially resolves a name.
     * See {@link #resolveToClass(Name, Class)} for details.
     *
     * @param name        the name to resolve
     * @param contextType the type of object to resolve.  This should
     *                    be a subtype of <code>Context</code>.
     * @return the object that was found, along with the unresolved
     * suffix of <code>name</code>.  Cannot be null.
     * @throws javax.naming.NotContextException if no context of the appropriate type is found
     * @throws NamingException                  if a naming exception was encountered
     */
    public ResolveResult resolveToClass(String name,
                                        Class<? extends Context> contextType)
            throws NamingException;
};
